My wife hit an emu... then another.

Submitted: Monday, Apr 12, 2004 at 23:20

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Member - Royce

and she was almost stopped. Crikey they're dumb! No real damage...... a few feathers and dignity ruffled [emus that is], my better three quarters was grumpy because it jolted her horse in the horse-float!

So.... the whistle discussion a thread or two back:

Okay....... serious answers now. No scientific research that I have ever heard of supports even the theory of these whistles. It's a nice idea... but no logic. The roos would get used to any sound if they hear them enough.... What? The whistle is pitched at a special level? Where's the research or findings on that one? I wait for one of you to direct me to the research.

Why do you hit roos? Because they jump onto the road! Why do they jump onto the road? Usually because your bright headlights are dazzling them... the only thing they can see is the road. So they go there. When I am hearding stock at night [not often!] ... I shine the torch towards the gate I want them to go through... yep... they go into the light where they can see.

Only answer? Turn off your lights as you drive through the bush at night. Yep. no answer really.

Okay. Let's accept that there is a special whistle that roos don't like. You are driving towards them. If the road is not straight then they will not have the foggiest how to run away from you because you are approaching from all angles until you appear around the bend.

Have you noticed that the roos sometimes actually jump onto the road as you approach? I don't think roos are very smart. They don't understand that a car is a great lump of metal hurtling at them at a speed impossible for natural animals to move. They don't understand that they can't get across the road in time to avoid you... even if they are scared of a whistle.

To those who say they haven't hit a roo since they fitted a whistle or other device. Well.... I haven't hit a roo since I fitted my last set of tyres [about 25,000k ago] so I reckon my tyres must send out a special whistle to keep the roos away.

What about wombats, emus, koalas, magpies, rabbits, cats [sorry don't worry about the last two], wallabies, goannas, blue tongues.

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Reply By: tour boy - Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 07:20

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 07:20

Out of all the roos i've hit over the years only 3 have ended up on the bullbar. Most simply hop into the side of the vehicle when startled out of the scrub on the road shoulder. And you're right they are dumber than sheep.

AnswerID: 53987

Follow Up By: Member - Eskimo - Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 07:36

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 07:36

Tour boy,
Be careful, you could end up in a fight here,
From the mouth of a sheep station manager "the only thing dumber than sheep are us farmers"

FollowupID: 315634

Follow Up By: macca - Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 09:00

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 09:00

TB I reckon your not quite right,
A sheeps ambition when its born is to lie down and die. Now that will put the cat amongst the pidgeons

FollowupID: 315638

Follow Up By: GO_OFFROAD - Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 18:03

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 18:03

if you have an arb winch bar, roo's up to 90kph dead centre are fine, and 60kph if you hit with the wing of the bar, emu's are good for 80kph, but the heads come over the bullbar and dent the bonnet.....8-)

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Follow Up By: jiarna - Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 18:42

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 18:42

The only things dumber than sheep are rocks!

FollowupID: 315708

Reply By: tour boy - Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 07:45

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 07:45

Royce, Why didn't you but the streched cruiser with the extra 6 windows in the roof (the moulded bits in the side of the roof?). I had one the same 13 seats did 450km and sold it to another operator for $1000 more than I paid for it. It then spent 5 years running from sydney to the hunter Valley every day without a problem and now it has a double bed in the back (could be anywhere now) Previously it spent the 1st 10years on the canning.
It will last you forever but keep an eye on the centre bearing on your rear tailshaft.

AnswerID: 53991

Follow Up By: Member - Royce- Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 19:47

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 19:47

Mine's from the mine [Loy Yang Power Station]. It was 50% brown coal. No.... I mean it. I cracked off a layer of coal which covered the ground underneath evenly to a depth of about 6" [hmmm..... 150mm], I managed to do that trick again a bit later after blasting with a pressure washer. It's an oldie 2H '88 model the new fangles window things were not available. I paid $10, 000 .... probably spent that again since... but I've done 150, 000k over the last 3 years with her. Just fitting my auxiliary tank today.... another 150litres. Cheers

FollowupID: 315722

Reply By: Diesel 1 - Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 07:57

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 07:57

G'day Royce,
A mate of mine fitted a couple of those whistle things to his Hilux and reckons they are the ducks nuts in preventing roo hits - he told me that he hadn't hit a roo since fitting them.

I told him that I once read that eating peanuts would prevent heart attacks and it definitely works because I eat peanuts and have never had a heart attack. He is still thinking about that - not the smartest bloke I know.

Diesel 1

AnswerID: 53993

Reply By: Member - Andrew R (VIC) - Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 08:30

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 08:30

Hi Royce,

I don't know much about the theory of any whistles, but hell i really enjoyed the story!!

AnswerID: 53998

Follow Up By: Member - Royce- Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 19:51

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 19:51

Here's another. My son was a little tacka....... about 5... so this is 16 years ago. I was driving home with a 44gal drum of Footrite [footrotty sheep to treat]... in the back of the Subaru. We were in the front. I saw the emu just in time through the fog. In a little car like that you HAVE TO STOP because they can be chopped off at the legs and end up through the windscreen. We did stop. The emu ran off. The Footrite stopped too. It stopped on top of us. We weren't hurt, but both had to push real hard to make the seats sit up and pull our heads off the dashboard.
Cheers Royce

FollowupID: 315723

Reply By: Vince NSW - Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 09:47

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 09:47

Don't know if they work on Roos but they do have an effect on goats. Last trrip to Broken Hill there were 1,000 s of them grazing on the side of the road. They took no notice of the trucks / buses etc but when we were about 50 mt from them the stood up and moved well into the scrub.
May have just added to the discussion
Vince

AnswerID: 54001

Follow Up By: Member - Royce- Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 19:54

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 19:54

Yeah that happened to me too as we travelled down the west coast!....... oh.. and I don't have a whistle. Maybe goats don't act like kangas.

FollowupID: 315724

Reply By: Arkay - Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 13:25

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 13:25

I don't have a whistle or similar fitted. I have never (yet) hit a roo, emu, cow, or camel. Seen plenty of wild life. The next vehicle when travelling in convoy usually sees less. Guess if we'd had a whistle they may have seen nothing at all.
What does that prove? Dunno.

AnswerID: 54017

Reply By: steveh - Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 15:41

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 15:41

My wife has a VS clubsport and works in the caravan park industry and has to travel through national parks nearly every day . She always said it was only a matter of time before she hit a roo as she has to dodge them on nearly every trip . I put a pair of roo whistles on about 3 months ago and she says that some run from them and some run towards them but she has not seen a fox at all since having them fitted .When i have driven this car through 80k zones i have noticed that dogs being walked freak out . Remember these things need a good rush of air to get a decent whistle out of them (60k + )

Steveh

AnswerID: 54030

Reply By: Rick Blaine - Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 16:23

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 16:23

I have the whistles fitted to my Jack....I have never hit a roo or an emu since fitting them but since fitting them I have seen 3 platypuseseseses in the Murrumbidgee River. I think they may work on flying saucers as well cause I havent seen one of those in about 2 years. Tasmanians swear by them to keep Thylacines out of the way... since these things came on the market not one thylacine has been seen let alone hit by a car with these whistles on...

AnswerID: 54034

Reply By: Member -Bob & Lex (Sydney) - Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 17:15

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 17:15

I still think mine work but not on Emu's as they are dumber than dog s**t.

AnswerID: 54040

Reply By: NathanK - Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 19:10

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 19:10

why do they go onto the road? it's actually more often that not because the road is warm from the sunlight. asphalt and bitument retains heat longer than sand/dirt (specific heat capacity) and therefore on colder nights esp out in the bush/desert the roos flock to the highway for warmth. when you approach and your high power Hella Predator xeon lights hit em over 1km away, you merely transfix them and they don't run away, mesmerized by the light.... then BOOM.

on runs up to Coral Bay, we'd average about 5 or 6 roos (actually hit and knocked down) each way. that's been for about 7 trips. last time we fitted roo whistles to our bullbars and we never saw one on the road at all - same time of the year, same time of the day/night.

maybe they don't work, maybe they do - all i know is that they're going on for the next trip in 4 weeks time!

AnswerID: 54059